Tiesto wades into new production with Bellagio Fountains show

By John Katsilometes

Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 | 2:02 p.m.

“Whimsical” might not be the first term to leap to mind when experiencing a set by international superstar DJ Tiesto when he holds fort at Hakkasan in MGM Grand.

“Pulsating” maybe, and “strobe-y,” but the scene is not exactly an exercise in whimsy.

Yet Tiesto is entering the realm of the whimsical this week when the artist known for playing to electronic dance music revelers at colossal nightclubs and such mass gatherings is featured at the Bellagio Fountains.

On Wednesday, a customized medley of three songs from his new release “A Town Called Paradise” will be unveiled along with a new choreographed water show on the Strip in front of Bellagio. The medley is the first such compilation tailored for the water show, which debuted with the opening of the hotel in 1998.

Years ago, Tiesto took his family to see the Bellagio Fountains for the first time. He loved it, naturally, and while he watched the dancing waters, he began to imagine the scene playing out to different music — his own.

“We were looking at this, and it was whimsical, magical, and it never gets old,” Tiesto says during a phone conversation. “I thought, ‘What would happen with my music involved? Could I have my own music?’ And it seemed possible. So I just started talking to the Bellagio about it, saying, ‘Let’s do it!,’ and that’s how it began.”

But it was not so easy. Over the years, hotel officials and the creative team of the Los Angeles water-design firm WET, which produces the presentation, have opted for universally recognized music. Glenn Miller’s big-band number “In the Mood” has been used, as have contemporary classics from The Beatles (“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” most notably), Elvis (“Viva Las Vegas,” natch), Michael Jackson (“Billie Jean”) and the Sarah Brightman-Andrea Bocelli duet “Con Te Partiro (“Time to Say Goodbye”).”

Sinatra’s “Luck Be a Lady” and Gene Kelly’s “Singin’ in the Rain” alternates with Elton John’s “Your Song” and Faith Hill’s “This Kiss.” Never has an electronic number been featured, and none of the 20 or so songs are being edited out to make room for the Tiesto Trilogy. Rather, they are allowing him — finally — into the water park.

“Five or six years ago, this would not have happened,” Tiesto says. “My music was not as popular as it is now, and the Bellagio was not so keen on me. My older music was very hard, it’s difficult to program for a show like this, and it was very underground.”

The latest release is less thumpy, certainly less aggressive and more melodic — more musical, even — than what you hear from Tiesto during his live appearances.

It is presented to him that some musicians, especially those who are classically trained, have little regard for electronic music. EDM DJs rely heavily on laptop technology and recorded “loops” while making their unbroken stream of sound from the booth. Tiesto does understand the pushback.

“It is not true, to say this is not creating art or making music,” he says. “You have kids who start out at 5 to 10 years old, their instrument is different, but they are learning to make music.

“It might not be playing Mozart on the piano, but it is creating a form of music, and it is now part of our culture, worldwide. People are understanding it better than they once did, and people are taking it seriously now.”

To ensure that his latest effort would match the visual artistry of the water show, Tiesto and WET reps set up a tent at the lake, concealed in blue-hued privacy, while WET officials and he matched the music with the blasts of waters.

Tiesto wore headphones and watched as his creation worked with the production on the 9-acre, man-made body of water.

“I was trying to imagine this happening in front of one of the most famous attractions in the world,” he says. “And I was overwhelmed. I got goose bumps, and I can’t wait for people to experience the music, the fountains and the sounds of all that water.”

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